The air inside the warehouse was thick with tension. A storm was brewing—one that only Adrian knight had the power to unleash.
Liana sat on the cold metal chair, her hands tied behind her back. Blood trickled from the corner of her lips where Scarlet had struck her, but her eyes remained fierce. She wasn't broken. Not yet.
Adrian stood before Scarlet, his hands in his pockets, but the rage simmering beneath his icy expression was undeniable.
"Your move, Scarlet." His voice was deceptively calm.
Scarlet smirked, twirling the dagger between her fingers. "Here's how this works, Adrian. You want her? You play my game."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Cut the theatrics. What do you want?"
Scarlet's eyes glowed with mischief. "A trade."
A silence fell over the room.
Liana's heart pounded. A trade? What the hell did that mean?
Scarlet stepped closer, running the tip of her blade down Adrian's chest. "Give me the codes."
The codes.
Liana's breath hitched. She had heard whispers about them before—something connected to Adrian's business, to his empire.
Adrian didn't blink. "You're insane if you think I'll hand those over."
Scarlet pouted. "Then Liana dies."
Liana's blood ran cold, but she didn't let it show. She refused to be the damsel in distress.
Before Adrian could respond, she spoke up. "Don't be stupid, Sinclair. You give her what she wants, and she'll kill us both anyway."
Scarlet laughed. "I like her spirit." She turned to Liana and tilted her head. "Too bad it won't save her."
Adrian took a step forward. Just one. And suddenly, the entire energy of the room shifted. The men standing behind Scarlet stiffened. Even Lucas, Scarlet's most trusted man, looked wary.
Because they all knew one thing.
Adrian knight didn't make threats. He made promises.
His voice was dangerously soft. "Touch her again, and I'll make you beg for death."
Scarlet shivered—not from fear, but from the thrill of the challenge. "So dramatic. Fine, let's make it interesting."
She snapped her fingers, and Lucas stepped forward, placing a gun on the table.
Scarlet picked it up and held it between her hands. "Russian Roulette. You win, you walk out with her. You lose…" She trailed off, aiming the gun at Liana's head.
Liana's breath hitched.
Adrian's fists clenched, his entire body rigid. She was playing with fire.
Scarlet smirked. "What do you say, Adrian ? Feeling lucky?"
A tense silence filled the room.
Then—
Adrian smirked.
A deadly, bone-chilling smirk.
"I don't need luck."
And with that, he reached for the gun.
---
The cold steel of the gun rested in Adrian knight hands. His grip was steady, his expression unreadable. Across the table, Scarlet grinned, twirling a stray strand of her dark hair around her fingers.
Liana's pulse pounded. This was madness. Absolute insanity.
"One bullet. Six chambers," Scarlet purred. "Let's see if fate is on your side, knight."
Lucas spun the cylinder of the revolver before setting it back down. The metallic click echoed ominously through the warehouse.
Adrian's gaze never wavered. He lifted the gun to his temple, his finger resting lightly on the trigger.
Liana couldn't breathe. Was he really going to do this?
Scarlet leaned forward. "Tick-tock, Adrian."
Click.
A dry fire.
Scarlet let out a soft hum of amusement. "Lucky."
She gestured toward Liana. "Your turn, darling."
Liana's body stiffened. What?
Adrian's smirk vanished. "That wasn't part of the deal."
Scarlet shrugged. "I changed the rules."
Liana's heart pounded against her ribs, but she forced herself to meet Scarlet's gaze. She wouldn't give her the satisfaction of fear.
Adrian placed the gun back down, his movements deliberate. "We're done here."
Scarlet's grin widened. "Oh, no, Adrian. We're just getting started."
Lucas stepped forward, cocking his own gun and pointing it straight at Liana's head.
Adrian's entire body tensed, a lethal storm brewing beneath his icy exterior.
Scarlet tilted her head. "Now, what will it be? The codes… or her life?"
Liana's breath hitched.
But before Adrian could speak—
BANG.
A gunshot shattered the tense silence.
Lucas stumbled back, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
Adrian hadn't moved.
Scarlet's smirk faltered for the first time. "What the—"
"Drop the gun, Scarlet."** The voice came from the shadows.**
Footsteps echoed as a new figure stepped into the dim light.
Liana gasped. It was—
-------
Scarlet's smirk faltered as the echo of the gunshot faded. Lucas clutched his bleeding shoulder, his eyes wide with pain and disbelief.
A tense silence filled the warehouse as slow, deliberate footsteps echoed from the shadows.
Liana's breath hitched. The figure stepping into the dim light sent a shiver down her spine.
Adrian turned his head slightly, his expression unreadable.
Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "You."
The man stepped forward, his presence commanding. Dressed in a tailored black suit, his golden-brown eyes burned with quiet fury.
Nathaniel.
Liana's heart clenched.
Adrian's jaw tightened as he took in the stranger. He had never seen this man before, yet the tension crackling between him and Scarlet was undeniable.
Nathaniel's voice was calm, but there was an edge to it—dangerous, unforgiving. "Step away from her, Scarlet."
Scarlet chuckled, though her grip on the gun tightened. "And here I thought you were dead."
Nathaniel's gaze flickered toward Liana before returning to Scarlet. "You should have finished the job when you had the chance."
Adrian's patience was wearing thin. His fingers flexed at his sides. "Who the hell is he?"
Scarlet tilted her head, amused. "Oh, Adrian.... you're in for quite the surprise."
Nathaniel ignored her and turned to Liana. "Are you hurt?"
Liana swallowed. There was something haunting in his eyes—something unreadable. But she knew one thing for certain.
Nathaniel was not a man to be underestimated.
Scarlet sighed dramatically. "Oh, the way you look at her… how tragic." She turned to Adrian, her lips curling into a cruel smile. "Tell me, Adrian. Do you really think you know everything about your little Liana?"
Adrian's cold gaze shifted toward Liana, who tensed under his scrutiny.
Scarlet's smile widened. "Let's make this even more interesting."
In one swift motion, she grabbed Liana by the wrist and yanked her forward, pressing the barrel of her gun against her temple.
Adrian's entire body went rigid.
Nathaniel's expression darkened, his fingers twitching toward his holster.
Scarlet leaned close to Liana's ear, her voice a venomous whisper. "Let's see which one of them is willing to risk their life for you."
Liana's pulse pounded. She wasn't afraid to die. But she knew—Adrian and Nathaniel wouldn't let that happen.
Adrian took a step forward, his voice deadly. "Scarlet, if you don't let her go—"
"Or what?" Scarlet challenged. "You'll kill me? Not before I pull this trigger."
Nathaniel's voice cut through the tension like a blade. "You won't get the chance."
Before Scarlet could react—
BANG.
A single shot rang out.
Scarlet's eyes widened in shock.
Blood bloomed across her side.
Her grip loosened.
Liana stumbled back—
And Adrian was there, catching her before she could fall.
Scarlet swayed, laughter bubbling past her lips even as blood dripped from her mouth. "Well… that's unfortunate."
Nathaniel lowered his gun, his expression unreadable. "It's over, Scarlet."
Scarlet smirked, even as she struggled to stay on her feet. "You think this is over?" Her gaze flickered toward Adrian. "You're playing a game you don't even understand, Sinclair."
Then, before anyone could stop her, she pressed a button on a small device hidden in her sleeve.
A beeping sound filled the air.
Adrian's eyes widened.
Liana gasped.
Nathaniel cursed.
Scarlet grinned, even as she collapsed to the ground. "Boom."
And then—
The world exploded.
---
See you in the next chapter.....